"This symbolism is publicly used by professional tennis players, including Polina Kudermetova and Karen Khachanov" - Oliynykova continues to call out WTA with serious allegations

Oleksandra Oliynykova has enjoyed a speedy rise through the tennis ranks in 2026, but headlines emerging away from the court have been the main focal point. After claiming that the WTA had pressured her to stay quiet over calling out tennis players amid the Ukraine war, she has ignored the consequences and launched a very serious allegation against the WTA.

Oliynykova has debuted in the top 100 this year. Catching the eye thanks to her occasional moonballing on the court, her tricky style of play can be tough for players to compete against. Currently ranked 68th in the world, her best run came at the Transylvania Open where she powered into the semi-final.

However, tennis is not the main talking point for the Ukrainian. She has repeatedly stood up for her country amid the conflict with Russia. At the Australian Open, she accused several of the biggest names in the sport. This included world number one Aryna Sabalenka and former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev of supporting the war, among others.

This has not gone down well with the WTA who have asked her to 'de-personalise' her statements surrounding the war, not calling anyone out or chucking names into the cauldron with the safety for the players their priority. Fines and suspensions were the risk of not obeying these orders.

Whie the statement seemed ominous, Oliynykova has not been stopped in her tracks. The 25-year-old again went to Instagram to call out former Russian tennis player, now Uzbekistan, Polina Kudermetova for her use of the St. George Ribbon. She also expanded her attack to the ATP, noting Karen Khackanov as another culprit.

“In its modern meaning and context, this symbolism is equivalent to the Nazi swastika," she wrote. "This symbolism is publicly used by professional tennis players, including Polina Kudermetova and Karen Khachanov.”

There was a debacle with the WTA before all of this, and Oliynykova outlined what occurred. “Before my matches in Antalya and Charleston, I wanted to make a statement in order to draw attention to the fact that our sport provides a platform for publicity, money, and influence to people who openly demonstrate support for Putin's regime in this way. But from the very beginning, the WTA completely sided with Kudermetova. I was called into meetings and pressured not to mention Kudermetova's name, despite the fact that referring to her use of this symbolism is simply stating a well-known and publicly visible fact.”

This is not the first attack she has done via her Instagram. In a lengthy three-part post, she went fully in at the WTA, opening up on the threats that she has received and detailing how her love for the sport was fading amid the ongoing circumstances.

"I have written now puts me at risk," part of the statement said. "I will likely not receive an answer as to why I am being sanctioned for stating the fact that there are players who participate in Russian propaganda, attend propaganda tournaments, take blood money, and normalize the war for ordinary Russians — who then go on to kill innocent people in Ukraine — and yet they continue to play without consequence."

"That is why I will continue to speak as things are. I will not let them break me, and I will not let them silence me. In the end, I simply cannot accept this level of pressure and censorship — because then I see no point. I do not know how long I will continue to play, but it is important for me to speak my truth within what I do. The war is happening, and there are people who carry it out, support it, finance it, normalize it, promote it — and I have the right to name them.

"I rely on the awareness and support of those who hear me — the fans and the tennis community — because I have no one else to rely on. Those who were supposed to protect me — and yes, I mean the WTA — have, over the past two months, caused me immense psychological harm, and now I am trying to recover. I saw that people were hearing me, and another pain was that, because of the imposed censorship, I felt a barrier between myself and the fans — I could not speak to them, and it created an inner urge to withdraw completely. But I am still here. And I will speak. I will not accept being forced into silence. I know that no matter who tries to convince me otherwise, human solidarity will protect me."

Oliynykova is currently competing at the Rome Open. After a first round exit in Madrid, she has gone one better with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Petra Marcinko. She will test her luck against the 18th seed Clara Tauson.